Debate on Europe especially heats up before European elections, but also in connection with the Ukraine war. What defines Europe? What (self-)critical image does Europe cultivate of itself, how is the region seen elsewhere? And which global role does Europe (want to) play in a world that is no longer “Eurocentric”? Answering these questions and more is the aim of the new DFG-funded Research Training Group at the University of Konstanz “Post-Eurocentric Europe”. The historical perspective ranges from the Middle Ages to the present, and the geopolitical perspective spans the Mediterranean and Balkan regions as well as transatlantic and Eurasian areas.
“We are overjoyed and relieved that our Research Training Group can finally start, especially since this application was submitted over ten years ago”, says Albrecht Koschorke, professor of modern German literature and literary theory at the University of Konstanz and spokesperson for the new Research Training Group. He adds: “Unfortunately, the topic of Europe has become rather more highly charged in the meantime. Together with the graduates and our international cooperation partners, we will have to address many far-reaching challenges”.
The participating researchers will analyze European self-perception based on narratives, i.e. semantic frames that inform collective action. This originally literary focus is supplemented by historical, social and legal research on the internal and external demarcations of the entity 'Europe' and the processes of its unification. Both in terms of the Europe topic and its interdisciplinary orientation, the new Research Training Group can draw on the well-proven structures and long-standing international contacts of the master's programme "Global European Studies" at the University of Konstanz.
"What is special about our approach is that we include views of Europe from the outside and from the periphery", explains Koschorke. Collaboration with partner institutions in Latin and North America, South Africa and India will make it possible to describe Europe in the 21st century from new cultural-historical and theoretical angles.
DFG funding for Research Training Groups
The new Research Training Group in Konstanz is one of 17 newly approved Research Training Groups established by the DFG to further strengthen the early stages of academic careers. Research Training Groups provide a structured research and qualification programme for doctoral researchers to complete their doctorates at a high professional level. The new Research Training Groups will initially be funded for five years starting autumn 2024 with a total of around 123 million euros.
Key facts:
- The German Research Foundation (DFG) approves funding for the Research Training Group “Europa nach dem Eurozentrismus” (“Post-Eurocentric Europe”) at the University of Konstanz.
- Starting autumn 2024, it will receive 5 million euros in funding over a period of five years.
- Spokesperson: Albrecht Koschorke is a professor of modern German literature and literary theory at the University of Konstanz.
- A total of 17 Research Training Groups were newly approved by the DFG.